1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to over-and-under firearms of the break-open type, and in particular to means for retracting the lower firing pin from contact with a cartridge contained in the lower barrel when the firearm is being broken open.
2. Prior Art
Over-and-under firearms of the break-open type to which the present invention relates include rifles, shotguns and combinations thereof. Such firearms have a frame and an upper and a lower barrel which are secured together and are pivotally mounted on the frame, the barrels being rotatable from their closed ready-to-fire position to their open loading-and-unloading position. A top level is rotatably mounted on the frame for retaining the barrels at their closed position when the top lever is at its barrel locking position and for releasing the barrels for rotation to their open position when the top level is rotated to its barrel unlocking position. Upper and lower firing pins are mounted for longitudinal movement on the frame in position to strike the primer cap of a cartridge (or shotgun shell) contained in the upper and lower barrels, respectively, upper and lower firing springs urging the firing pins rearwardly out of contact with the cartridges contained in the barrels of the firearm. Upper and lower hammers are pivotably mounted on the frame in position to strike the upper and lower firing pins, respectively, the hammers being rotatable from their rearward cocked positions to their forward fired positions at which they are in contact with the upper and lower firing pins of the firearm. Upper and lower sears releasably retain the upper and lower firing pins at their cocked positions, and upper and lower hammer springs drive the upper and lower hammers forwardly against the upper and lower firing pins when the upper and lower sears are disengaged from the hammers by the trigger mechanism of the firearm.
When the firearm is in its ready-to-fire condition, the barrels are at their closed position, the top lever is at its barrel locking position, the upper and lower hammers are retained at their rearward cocked positions by the upper and lower sears, and the upper and lower firing pins are at their rearward positions out of contact with the cartridges contained in the upper and lower barrels, respectively, of the firearm. When the firearm is fired by pulling the trigger, the trigger mechanism first withdraws one sear (say, the upper sear) from engagement with the upper hammer to allow the upper hammer to strike the upper firing pin and drive the firing pin forcefully against the primer cap of the cartridge contained in the upper barrel. Pulling the trigger again causes the trigger mechanism to withdraw the lower sear from engagement with the lower hammer and thereby allow the lower hammer to strike the lower firing pin and drive this firing pin forcefully against the primer cap of the cartridge contained in the lower barrel of the firearm. The firing pins must strike the primer caps with sufficient force to ignite the primer material of the caps, and this causes the forward ends of the firing pins to form small but distinct depressions or indentations in the relatively soft metal of the caps. As a result, after the firearm is fired the forward ends of both the upper and lower firing pins normally are imbedded or received in the small indentations thus formed in the primer cap of each cartridge and are held in these indentations by the spring loaded hammers that bear against the rearward ends of the firing pins.
To reload the firearm it must be broken open to remove the spent cartridge cases from the upper and lower barrels and to load fresh cartridges into each barrel. To this end, the top lever is rotated from its barrel locking position to its barrel unlocking position, thereby releasing the barrels for rotation to their open loading-and-unloading position. However, rotation of the barrels to their open position may be interfered with or prevented altogether if the forward ends of the upper and lower firing pins are not somehow withdrawn from the indentations formed in the primer caps of the cartridges in the upper and lower barrels.
In most over-and-under firearms, the upper and lower hammers are disposed in side by side relationship with one hammer on each side of the longitudinal center line of the firearm. In such firearms the upper firing pin extends longitudinally upwardly and inwardly from the forward facing firing pin striking surface of the upper hammer to the primer cap of the cartridge contained in the upper barrel, and the lower firing pin extends longitudinally downwardly and inwardly from the forward facing firing pin striking surface of the lower hammer to the primer cap of the cartridge contained in the lower barrel. The upwardly angled upper firing pin does not interfere with the movement of the barrels from their closed position to their open position in that the rotational movement of the barrels tends to withdraw the indented primer cap of the cartridge in the upper barrel from contact with the upwardly angled upper firing pin. However, the downwardly angled lower firing pin does interfere with the movement of the barrels to their open position in that the rotational movement of the barrels merely serves to imbed the lower firing pin more firmly in the indentation formed in the primer cap of the cartridge in the lower barrel. As a consequence, it is necessary to provide some means for withdrawing the lower firing pin from contact with the cartridge contained in the lower barrel before the barrels are swung or rotated to their open position.
One solution to this problem has been to employ a rebound type of hammer for the lower barrel. A rebound hammer is provided with a hammer spring and strut arrangement that causes the hammer to rebound a short distance rearwardly after striking the firing pin. When struck by the hammer, the firing pin strikes the primer cap of the cartridge in the lower barrel. However, as the hammer rebounds a short distance rearwardly, the firing pin is withdrawn from contact with the indented primer cap by the firing pin spring. Another solution has been to employ an inertia type of firing pin for the lower barrel. An inertia firing pin is somewhat shorter than a standard positive contact firing pin so that, after being struck by the hammer and, in turn, striking the primer cap of the cartridge, the shorter firing pin is withdrawn from contact with the indented primer cap by the firing pin spring. This type of firing pin, however, does not always provide positive ignition of the primer cap, and, therefore, is not an ideal solution to the problem.
After an extensive investigation of the above mentioned problem, we have now devised a simple yet effective means for withdrawing or retracting the lower firing pin from contact with the cartridge contained in the lower barrel of an over-and-under firearm. The firing pin retracting means of the invention permits the use of a full length positive contact firing pin for the lower barrel and insures retraction of this firing pin from the lower barrel before the barrels are unlocked from their closed position and are free to be rotated to their open position.